Immigration and Overstay Issues

Can anyone please provide the latest penalties being charged at the airport
for overstays on departure ?

Can't remember the Pesos, but about $80.00.

4000 pesos  -  3 to 9 months

There's a penalty chart on the Punta Cana Int' l Airport website that takes timeines and fines all the way out to 10 year

$2,500 pesos up to 90 days.

Sorry, wasn't yelling. Just trying to get a point across. Still too much Political and Police Corruption in DR. Especially with La AMET.

Thanks folks, please confirm they only accept payment for Overstays in US $$

Nobody's Flocking to DR from the United States on makeshift boats to get away from Poverty, Abuse and Misery either Broski.

JoeP16 wrote:

Nobody's Flocking to DR from the United States on makeshift boats to get away from Poverty, Abuse and Misery either Broski.

I would desagree with you, because before all that jobs was cover by Dominicans, the lack of all goverments to enforce laws and the advantages that has the companies using the ilegals, plus the salaries make dominicans rejet those kind of jobs.  but that is another topic and as planner would say, lets go back to the topic.

The USA is in the middle of a housing bubble right now with the prices of houses and rents skyrocketing. So it is very possible that if you are living on a modest social security income you might live a lot better in the DR or somewhere else in Latin America. Just the cost of housing alone might force you to be a homeless person. it is better to rent a modest place in the DR rather than live in your car on a Walmart parking lot.

Okay - This thread is on problems with overstays! There are plenty of other threads discussing the immigration of Haitians and their place in the workforce in DR.

Any more off-topic posts will be removed!

Good friend flew back to States last week and he had about a 60 or so day overstay.  I warned him about the fees at the airport and he paid 2,500 pesos, about $45 USD.

I am having the first long post by Robert moved to it's own thread.  It's almost completely off topic.

Let's try to stay on topic please

goinforit wrote:

Thanks folks, please confirm they only accept payment for Overstays in US $$

You can pay in pesos too. Or by credit card.

Funny, but true...🤣🤣🤣

https://migracion.gob.do/servicio/prorroga-de-estadia/
I appreciate detailed information provided by others in these forums so I thought I would reciprocate. Here’s my recent experience obtaining a tourist card extension. I procrastinated and applied online on my 25th day in the country. I canceled my return flight a few days later and then day 30 came and went with no news. For my application I had obtained a medical certificate locally (“Certificado Médico”), downloaded a bank statement from my US bank  (“Solvencia Económica Propia“) and downloaded my return ticket (a confirmation email from JetBlue). I took a picture of the main page of my passport (the “biometric” page) as well as the page showing my recent entry stamp. As for the medical certificate I spent some time trying to explain in my crappy Spanish to several different folks that I needed a letter stating, blah, blah, blah. That was unnecessary. Just say you need a “Certificado Médico” and you will be understood. If you don’t have a doctor or clinic you are familiar with, ask a local friend to recommend one. You may or may not be subjected to a medical examination. The point is, it is not hard to get one and I got the impression it is a fairly routine activity to obtain one. To show financial solvency, I used a checking account bank statement from a somewhat idle account with not a whole lot of activity shown but with a reasonable but not large amount of funds. I obscured the account number on the document, as I am generally careful with my personal information. I applied through the portal and received an application number and a pin (a password) by email. This allows one to return to the application later and to check the status once the application is sent. I filled everything out and uploaded the required documents in pdf format. The application stalled at one point and I couldn’t continue. I closed it out and started over using the application number and pin and the application went through on that second attempt (I think I switched web browsers just in case that was the problem). I received an email acknowledgement. Nine calendar days then passed before I received another email and the status of my application changed (Independence Day occurred during this stretch so there was probably a government vacation day or two). I logged into the website and found the following “Pendiente de aprobación: Su solicitud ha sido evaluada y se encuentra en proceso de aprobación por la Dirrección General de Migración.” This was heartening since I obviously did not leave the country. Two more days passed and I received another email. I logged into the site and learned I was approved and was informed that I could pay the fee upon departure or online by following  a link to a payment processor. Wishing to eliminate the possibility of paying twice I decided not to pay in advance.

Others have reported a shorter turnaround for this process. The website states 3 business days. Next time I will get my application in during the first couple of weeks after I enter the country.  Peace of mind is nice. One could deduce from my experience that you can get this done as long as you get the application sent prior to day 30, but that is a risky interpretation that I won’t be testing.

Thank you for the very detailed  info!  That helps many people!

I've heard of family members staying 6 months at a time and just paying the Overstay Fee at the Airport. This Family member has been doing this for the past 30yrs with no issues. DR welcomes your Dollars and Euros anytime. However, you can go to the DR Consulate and apply for Residency as long as you can prove income over $2k and a clean record. Not sure if you'll also require a clean Bill of Health as well. Planner should know. FYI...J.P

Things are changing.   This govt has said and shown they are cracking down.  I expect one day soon some of this activity will come back to bite people in the butt.

When you mentioned the government is looking for a clean record , does that mean never being arrested for anything …. Ever , or do they want to make sure you didn’t commit murder or on a terrorist  list and what type of document would you have to get and from whom

Nothing serious and that you don't have a rap sheet 40 pages long

planner wrote:

Things are changing.   This govt has said and shown they are cracking down.  I expect one day soon some of this activity will come back to bite people in the butt.

I was expecting the same when the new government took over from the PLD and said they would actually enforce all immigration laws for everyone, but now I have my doubts they will ever do anything but deal with "The Haitian" issues.

windeguy wrote:

I was expecting the same when the new government took over from the PLD and said they would actually enforce all immigration laws for everyone, but now I have my doubts they will ever do anything but deal with "The Haitian" issues.

Don't forget, Abinader took office in the midst of a pandemic and the resulting economic effects. Migration was not his top priority - the health and safety of the Dominican people, and getting to a point of being able to re-establish tourism and jump-start the economy were his top concerns. And when it comes to Migration, he was more concerned with Haitians with irregular status, so that is being addressed first. We really don't know what is going on behind the scenes and what programs/rules/enforcements might be announced tomorrow.

Hello

I just went home after 38 days.  I did not apply for the extension because I didnt want to pay again for a medical certificate and a covid test.  There is no medical test at the airport so why do you need to do it online?  Just more cost.

When I got to customs (just before the duty free shop) , I scanned my passport, the red light went on the the lady simply said (your visa expired) and directed me to the "payment" line for those that stayed too long.  I had to give my passport and they declared I need to pay $2500 pesos (the extension for up to 90 days), and thats it. 

They didnt say, next time we wont let you in or here is how to request an extension online.  Nothing.  Just pointed to the cashier.   Now why go through all the hassle and extra expense that you describe here, when you simply pay fast at the airport?   

At this time, there are no consequences for overstaying and it costs less than making the online request because there is no need for a medical.

I do not advocate for breaking laws, I am just being practical.  I hope I do not regret it.

Key phrase: at this time!

Karin1 wrote:

Hello

I just went home after 38 days.  I did not apply for the extension because I didnt want to pay again for a medical certificate and a covid test.  There is no medical test at the airport so why do you need to do it online?  Just more cost.

When I got to customs (just before the duty free shop) , I scanned my passport, the red light went on the the lady simply said (your visa expired) and directed me to the "payment" line for those that stayed too long.  I had to give my passport and they declared I need to pay $2500 pesos (the extension for up to 90 days), and thats it. 

They didnt say, next time we wont let you in or here is how to request an extension online.  Nothing.  Just pointed to the cashier.   Now why go through all the hassle and extra expense that you describe here, when you simply pay fast at the airport?   

At this time, there are no consequences for overstaying and it costs less than making the online request because there is no need for a medical.

I do not advocate for breaking laws, I am just being practical.  I hope I do not regret it.

You did not pay for an "extension" you paid a fine for illegally overstaying.

I pay the fine every year.  No problema.....

Being 'legal' during your overstay can help in many ways.,....

Driving for one..... if 'illegal', your civil rights & status are in jeopardy

If in doubt, don't overstay is the easiest solution

For over 20 years DR has had a very lax immigration system and for 18 years it has had an immigration law which was only 40% applied at best and for 10 years there have been regulations to apply that Immigration law but not applied.

During that time illegal Haitian immigration flooded the country and those in positions of power, business and influence benefitted from illegal immigration of Haitians and other nationalities involved in questionable deeds.

Then came a wave of Venezuelan immigrants and then a pandemic.

This government has been in control for 18 months and have repeatedly stated they plan to implement the Immigration Law in full.

They have had to retire many of the immigration officers who were beneficiaries from the lax immigration and train officers and now arrange and train officers for the regional foreigner registration offices.

They have tackled the Venezuelan immigrant problem through registration and regularization. They have introduced a paperless e-ticket. They have made the staying extension requirements to reflect what is written in the regulations. They have clamped down on the requirement to have a return ticket for non-residents.

There have been many other changes but the most significant for the Dominican population is that they are beginning to deal with the Haitian immigration problem properly, by reviewing the flawed regularization plan of the Medina government, by starting to build a border wall, preparing to introduce a day pass permit for border Haitian commerce and developing plans to record and issue annual work permits to the Haitian workers needed in construction and agricultural work. They are also making it more difficult for Haitians to abuse the Dominican health service.

At the same time, they continue to clamp down on any person aiding Haitians to enter DR illegally and penalize all other nationalities working here, including online, without residency or a work permit and hunting down the undesirable overstayers linked to crime.

This is a sea change from 18 months ago.

You can’t get water flowing through a tap if the plumbing is faulty and rotten.

I would imagine the focus this year will be on the Haitian border and work permit issues as the border wall gets built, and also on the regional registration offices which we are told will impact all foreigners and is part of the Immigration Law. Any compulsory registration of non tourist stay foreigners would be a big indicator of more changes.

Get rid of the medical certificate requirement by insisting on medical insurance instead for a full non resident stay, and you would be able to convince people like Karin1 to get the staying extension on line for short overstays.

Give it time, the Haitian issues and registration offices are taking longer to resolve than DGM anticiptated with politics in play, and best advice is try and keep to the law because your entry and exit information has been recorded for several years now and is on the DGM database for use when required.

Someone mentioned Costa Rica as a marker in this thread. They may have a 90 day tourist stay available should the immigration officer grant that, but the return ticket is mandatory and if you overstay you can be denied re-entry or more for the duration of your overstay which costs USD100 per month or part thereof. Add that to the cost of tourist taxes and there and DR works out cheaper with lesser enforcement for long overstayers. Costa Rica works closely with DR........

"border wall"

I have not seen anything on that - what are the plans?

With an investment of RD$1,750 million, President Abinader begins construction of a perimeter fence on the border with Haiti

https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias/con … n-de-verja

Dajabón.- The President of the Republic started today in this province the construction of the first stage of the intelligent border fence that, as he assured, will benefit the Dominican Republic and Haiti because it will allow the regulation of cross-border commercial and migratory flows, confront smuggling drug trafficking and guarantee security in the region.

It is a fence, said President Abinader, that will benefit both countries because it will allow much more efficient control of bilateral trade, regulation of migratory flows in order to combat the mafias that traffic people, deal with drug trafficking and the illegal sale of weapons. , as well as protect the farms and crops of ranchers and agricultural producers.

With this fence, he pointed out, the country will combat the different forms of organized crime that have wanted to take the border between the two countries as a base, so the benefit for both nations will be of great importance.

Also, said the president, security will be guaranteed in the border area thanks to the fact that we will be able to drastically reduce irregular migration that violates the sovereignty of countries, betting on the legal route as the only possible way to enter our territory.

The Head of State considered that a regulated border is a much safer border, which is something extremely positive for the development of commercial activity that usually takes place at border posts.

Project features

President Abinader explained that the first stage that begins today will be 54 kilometers long with reinforced concrete and a metal structure, 19 surveillance and control towers, 10 access gates for patrolling, and 54 kilometers of roads for surveillance and maintenance on both sides.

“This first part will be erected in the populated and sensitive areas of the border line and construction begins simultaneously on 6 fronts located in the 5 border provinces. It will be completed in 9 months at a cost of more than 1,750 million pesos”, stated the president.

He added that, once the construction of the first stage has begun, in the first half of this year the tender for the technological component of the entire border fence will be launched. In the second half of 2022, the second stage will be tendered, which will cover another 110 kilometers, and whose construction will begin as soon as the first stage is completed.

biometric control

The president announced that this week an advanced biometric control system will be installed for the registration of people who enter the country through regulated border crossings. This system was designed by the German company Dermalog, a world leader in the sector.

The system uses the ABIS system as a tool, which combines fingerprints with photographs, which allows the identity of a person to be identified with a minimum margin of error, in addition to recording demographic data (names, documents and location, among others).

DR in the face of the crisis in Haiti

President Abinader explained that the construction of this intelligent border fence will serve to protect the nation, safeguard the interests of the country, respect dignity and freedom, in addition to defending national sovereignty. .........

German company Dermalog are very much involved in identity verification and recording in DR for various departments - google and see.

I heard the same story about how the government will go after some of the Haitians …… not all being
That they need some to do the jobs that the Dominican people think are below them…..plus they don’t really want to go after the people ( ex-pat ) who might be spending money in county in the near future

Tippj wrote:

I heard the same story about how the government will go after some of the Haitians …… not all being
That they need some to do the jobs that the Dominican people think are below them…..plus they don’t really want to go after the people ( ex-pat ) who might be spending money in county in the near future

I would prefer to see the actual laws enforced.  The current President is doing a good job in some of those areas, but not all so far.  Excuses for illegal aliens are not part of the laws.

Let me remind everyone that  this is a private site. The rules are made and applied to all. When you signed up for an  account you agreed to follow the rules.

The last post was deleted.   We will not tolerate  name calling or abuse.   Censorship does not apply when YOU agree to the rules of a private site.

To amplify the sea change in the DGM approach to immigration and the intent to apply the law in full, we read today that the ex head of Migration in Santiago during the past governments is one if those arrested in the FM case of money laundering from drugs and illicit activities and scams.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … fm/1701323

Migration under this government has implemented a clean out in the past 18 months of those that benefitted from misdeeds for 20 years or more, including officers who pocketted or bent the rules of the overstay fee, so don't rely on what has happened in the past nor what is being assured by long term overstayers as a marker going forward.

To not be prepared for future changes to overstay is probably very unwise as events unfold.

So far the only documented situation of a ramification of not being legally in the DR is the recent one about residency being required to be a member of FEDUGOLF. Truly  one of those "only in the DR" things.

A little off topic but I think Fedugolf needs to be addressed to be fair. 

I don't think its Fedugolf making that rule.  The individual golf courses give better rates if you are a resident, so when Fedugolf is giving discounts its based upon the preferred rates for residents (lower rates).  Otherwise the courses may not be giving discounts that Fedugolf can use.  Fedugolf is just trying to track down good deals and making them available as a membership package...as I understand it.

DominicanadaMike wrote:

A little off topic but I think Fedugolf needs to be addressed to be fair. 

I don't think its Fedugolf making that rule.  The individual golf courses give better rates if you are a resident, so when Fedugolf is giving discounts its based upon the preferred rates for residents (lower rates).  Otherwise the courses may not be giving discounts that Fedugolf can use.  Fedugolf is just trying to track down good deals and making them available as a membership package...as I understand it.

Ah, so it always should have been a requirement to be a legal resident to get a discount.  Just now being enforced.

I don't know but I can tell you that was the case 8 years ago...at the course.

There are plenty of "documented ramifications" to being an illegal resident. 

I think the explanation of Fedugolf  is logical.  To get a discount at golf courses you need residency.

There are so many examples of ramifications. I am not going to restate them all, they are all over this and other threads.

planner wrote:

There are plenty of "documented ramifications" to being an illegal resident. 

I think the explanation of Fedugolf  is logical.  To get a discount at golf courses you need residency.

There are so many examples of ramifications. I am not going to restate them all, they are all over this and other threads.

My point about the laws and the fact they are still not enforced as written regarding those entering the DR on tourist cards  is that 99.999% of those that overstay illegally never have any issue because of it.  They simply pay the overstay fine upon leaving, no matter how long they overstayed, and are allowed back in with no issues.   Hence, why would anyone care.  So far any talk of actually enforcing those laws has just been talk. I no longer have an expectations that the government will actually enforce those laws.